In his next life: male model
Who's that looking all dapper in the latest issue of GQ? None other than Barrio bartender Chad Larson, who was a finalist in this summer's GQ/Bombay Sapphire cocktail contest. Larson and his fellow mixologists appear in a special multi-page ad detailing the prestigious competition (he placed just outside the top 10). Larson dressed the part for the men's magazine, appearing in a gray vest and maroon tie, plus one serious face. "It looks like we're all pissed about something," he said. The 40-year-old's winning cocktail is called the Coliseum, a refreshing gin drink with a hint of licorice. Ask him to make it for you at Barrio St. Paul, where at least one regular has already asked for his autograph. "My swimsuit issue will be out next summer," he joked to I.W. --TOM HORGEN
Hem and her
Zenon dancer Tamara Ober doesn't let a little thing like a wardrobe malfunction get in the way of delivering a knockout performance. During the company's barn-burning rendition of Danny Buraczeski's "Swing Concerto" on Sunday evening at the Cowles Center, a panel on Ober's petticoat peskily came undone, threatening a modern-dance meltdown. But she and partner Stephen Schroeder didn't miss a beat of Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing." At an opportune moment, they yanked the offending fabric out from under their fast-moving feet and tossed it to the back of the stage. It was quite a trick, and I.W. wouldn't be surprised if Buraczeski worked it into the choreography. --RICK NELSON
Loony tunes
Tuesday's release of the "Minnesota Beatle Project, Vol. 3" comes with an interesting thank-you in the liner notes: the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Organizers of the nonprofit tribute album -- this year featuring Cloud Cult, Solid Gold, Tapes 'n Tapes, Charlie Parr and 11 others -- had to enlist the DNR to fulfill artist Brock Davis' ingenious vision for the cover art: a loon wearing a mop-top wig. Turns out, though, taxidermy versions of the state bird are illegal. After many phone calls, "Beatle Project" producer Mark Gehring got his hands on the one and only "official" stuffed loon at DNR headquarters in St. Paul. "It came with instructions on how to handle it and everything," said Gehring, whose Vega Productions has donated $60,000 to public-school music programs from the last two CDs. --CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Waiting on Adele
It turns out people who had tickets to Adele's twice-postponed Twin Cities concerts weren't the only ones in town who had to wait for her. She kept Cities 97 waiting until press time for "Sampler Volume 23." In fact, the station prepared three different versions of this year's sampler while awaiting approval from Adele's managers. "One had 'Someone Like You,' one had 'Rolling in the Deep' and one didn't have anything from Adele," Cities 97 program director Lauren MacLeash told Billboard.com. "Someone Like You," recorded in Cities' Studio C in October 2010, got the green light and became the opening track on the 19-song "Volume 23." The disc landed at No. 12 on Billboard's album chart and No. 1 on the -- get this -- folk-music list. --JON BREAM
Curtiss A-OK after stroke
Of all the people concerned that Curtiss A suffered a stroke a couple weeks ago, the singer himself is apparently not one of them. With his 32nd annual John Lennon tribute coming up at First Avenue, he told the club "to play it up for promotion: 'Come see if he'll drop dead on stage this year.'" Mr. Almsted joked, with a cackle loud enough to make you believe he's feeling OK now. A night after his hospitalization, he performed at Nick and Eddie, where he now has a weekly Thursday gig. Next Thursday, though, is the Lennonathon, held on the anniversary of the Beatle's death. It's probably a good coincidence that this year's tribute falls on the same night as the club's weekly Latin dance party, which means Lennonmania has to end by 10:30 p.m. (7 p.m. start, $15). "We're going to whittle it down to our greatest hits," promised the 60-year-old rocker, who also suffered a heart attack two years ago but has since lost 50 pounds and says he feels fine. "I felt 60 when I was 20, so I think I'm doing pretty good now." --CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Last call for radio man
Marc Kalman, an integral player in Twin Cities radio for more than 40 years, announced his retirement Wednesday. A Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame member who pushed the careers of such stars as Tom Barnard and Dave Ryan, Kalman was general manager and president of KQRS, 93X and Love 105. His résumé also includes stints as general manager of KDWB and general sales manager for WCCO. KQRS has had a rough couple of years and was part of radio's biggest deal of 2011, when Cumulus bought Citadel, which had filed for bankruptcy in 2009. This spring, long-dominant KQRS took a blow when ratings dropped 22 percent. "It's time for me to go on to other things," Kalman, 67, told I.W. "Whatever it is, I hope it'll involve having a golf club in my hand." --NEAL JUSTIN
Walker on the Web
Walker Art Center has streamlined its image in a redesigned website that debuted Friday at the familiar URL, www.walkerart.org. Surprise! It looks like, gasp, a newspaper. Or an online magazine. Top stories are called out, and the centerpiece is a rotating feature by a Walker staffer. In a preview edition, director Olga Viso beamed in a smart review of the recent Istanbul Biennial, which she thought too literal, colorless and lacking faith in art's transcendent power. Besides making Walker info a lot more accessible and interactive, the site has easy links to art stuff from all over, including news from London and Los Angeles, local and international blogs, and auction info. --MARY ABBE
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